Newspapers / Black Ink (Black Student … / Feb. 28, 1979, edition 1 / Page 2
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P«*e 2 After five months University yet to answer Renwick s charges EDITOR’S NOTE: More than five months have passed since UNC’s Hayden B. Renwick, associate dean of tbe College of Arts and Sciences, publicly revealed data that casts doubt as to whether tbt University was adequately fulfilling its commitment to increase minority enrollment. Tbe furor caused by the issue has un veiled a cioud of racism at tbe University. Moreover, the University has not an swered Renwick’s charges. Alas, the stigma of the minority ad missions controversy hovers over this ooce great Institution. DAVID R. SQUIRES Editor-In-Chief The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is denying admission to Black students who have better high school records than many white students who are accepted according to data compiled by Hayden Bentley Renwick, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. A former admissions officer himself, Renwick's data for the years 1972-77 raises doubt as to whether the "University is fulfilling its com mitment to increase minority enrollment." “I tried to obUin 1978 admissions information, but I was denied access to those records not once, not twice, but three times,” he said in a recent in terview. ‘•When I was the Chancellor Ferebee Taylor’s special assistant. I asked Vice Chancelor Douglass Hunt, in writing, to grant me that privilege and I have received no response. If the chan cellor’s special assistant or an asociate dean can’t review these applications, then who can?” Renwick asked. "The University is afraid to give me the data because they know that I’ll find the same thing I found before, that they are rejecting qualified Black students, Renwick said. Hunt could not be reached for com ment. Renwick publicly refuted the University’s claimed commitment to increasing minority enrollment on Sept. 17, in an article, written by hunself, in the Chapel Hill Newspaper. . The article revealed that in 1974, UNC accepted 427 blacks from among 554 Black applicants. Yet, in 1978, they accepted only 424 blacks of the 706 Black applicants. "None d my charges have been refuted,” Renwick said. "And nobody has approached me about anything I said. There’s been very little feedback, very little conversation with the ad ministrators on campus, especially ( oUln Rustln says his office Is doing all it can t4> get the best minority students. those directly involved. "With the documents I have, I don’t think they can refute the issues. I feel they can ignore them and that seems to be what they are doing. "I gave the university this same information last March. They just ignored it. There was not one bit of information in this last statement that the university did not refute Renwick’s charges, the chancellor’s office did release figures to show that the 1,385 blacks currently enrolled at UNC is 116 more than last year, or a 9.1 percent increase. The figures also reveal a 30 percent increase in the number of Black fresh men enrolled since last year. "If they had admitted the students that I think should have been admitted it would have been 70 percent. Between the years 1975 and 1976, freshmen enrollment declined 36 percent,” Renwick said. In 1975, UNC accepted only 378 of the 619 Blacks who applied. In 1976, they accepted only 328 out of 620 black ap plicants. "I am sure some of those Black students who were rejected are better qualified than some white students who were accepted,” he said. According to Renwick’s data, in 1977, UNC rejected a Black student with an SAT 3core of 1030, a class rank of five out of 405 and a projected grade point average (g.p.a.) of 2.6. It also rejected a Black student with an SAT score of 1110, and a projected g.p.a. of 1.87. In the same year, they rejected a Black male with an SAT score (rf 1180, who was in the top one-third of his class, with a projected g.p.a of 2.0, while accepting a white female with an SAT score of 820, a projected g.p.a. of 1.3, who was not in the upper half of her class. Also, UNC acceded an in-state white student with a 730 SAT score and a projected grade point average of 1.90. “All of these students are North Carolina residents. “These are not athletes,” he said. Renwick said that he says the University is rejecting qualified black students because the Black students who are being rejected have better high school records than many whites who have been accepted and are currently enroled. ‘If you are a student, you are qualified. “Over the past three years, I estimate that over 300 qualified black students have been rejected.” Richard G. Caswell, director of un dergraduate admissions, refused to discuss the minority admissions con troversy. •‘We’ve been instructed not to speak to the media on this matter,” he said. •‘It has caused so much controversy that Sam Williamson was designated the official spokesman for the university of the affair. I would be glad to comment or it, but I just can’t,” he said. Williamson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences said ••no one has been designated the official spokesman that I know of. I guess he has his own reasons for not wanting to talk.” Renwick says Cashwell is not trying to increase minority enrollment. •‘This statement was quoted to me by Cashwell. ‘‘The university is not committed to increasing the black enrollment.” I doubt if Cashwell can speak for the University, but there is no doubt in my mind he was speaking for the Undergraduate Admissions office and for himself,” Renmwick said. Renwick also criticized Minority Admissions Director Collin Rustin. “Collin Rustin continues to ignore the rejection of numerous qualified black students. He also ignores the ac ceptance of many other students, in cluding athletes, that have academic credentials below those of many black students that are rejected by he and his office,” Renwick said. I questioned he and Cashwell con cerning 25 black students that had been rejected. Rustin assured me that he checked and rechecked all rejected black students applications, and that these students were not qualified. If I had felt that way while I was asssistant director of admissions, then he, Rustin, might not have been accepted. "Yet, the very next week, Rustin had to admit that 17 of the 25, indeed, were qualified and that they (the admissions office) had made 17 mistakes. I’m not sure of two points. Who made the mistakes, or how could 17 mistakes occur if Rustin checked and rechecked every application. “If Cashwell and Rustin continue to reject qualified black students, then it is time for changes to be made.” Rustin denied that his office admitted making mistakes. “They were not mistakes. They were cases, that he felt could have gone the other way. If we had admitted those 17, he could have very easily found 17 more that didn’t get admitted and said they should have been admitted also. You have to draw the line somewhere.” According to Renwick, “the minority admissions issue began over a year ago when I started looking at academic folders and found special admissions were being made in cases involving athletes and children of alumni, yet qualified black students were being denied admissions to the university,” he said. •‘How many special admissions policies do we have?” Renwick asked. “How many categories does this university have where they can admit white students with lower academic credentials than black students? “I’m not saying cut athletic scholarships. I went to sdiool on an athletic scholarship myself. But, if we’re supposed to be committed to increasing minority enrollment, why Dean Hayden B. Renwick says the university is rejecting qualified Black students. can’t we make special consideratons for blade students too,” Rustin outlined the university’s categories for admissions. "There’s regular decisiai. then, there’s the review that can be done by the revisory committee on undergraduate ad missions, which would include the special admissions process for minority students and the special admissions process for athletes,” he said. According to Rustin, out of state students, who are competing for one of the 500 slots reserved for them, need higher credentials than North Carolina Residents. According to Rustin, “Out of state (Continued on page 3) News Notes King’s father to lecture Martin Luther King Senior will give the second annual Martin Luther King Junior Memorial Lecture of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Monday, March 12th. King’s lecture, “Misplaced Values," wiU begin at 8 p.m. in Memorial Hall. Black graduate disco note So the law students had a nice party? When? Last Saturday? Nice time to find out, Tuesday after. „ ^ j * j If these are or have been your feelings then help is on the way. The Black Graduate and Professional Students Unity Weekend is sponsoring a SNDA “Spring Disco” Friday March 16 at 9:00. The disco wUl take place at Ship- a’Hoy Club in Hillsborough. Tickets are J5.00 a person. Contact James Hardy or any Black dental student for more in formation. Grants for J-school Grants totaling $40,000 have been awarded to the Schoof of Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by the Journalism Foundation. The School of Journalism Foundation of North Carolina, Inc., announced the award at its annual January meeting during the N.C. Press Association Institute in Oiapel Hill. “The grants will be used primarily for undergraduate scholarships for joumaliOT students, newspapers and other educaUonal materials,” said John B. Adams, dean of the UNC-CH School of Journalism.
Black Ink (Black Student Movement, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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Feb. 28, 1979, edition 1
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